What's the most unusual way you have seen someone receive notification of promotion?

To my own Promotion to O-5 Commander in the Naval Reserve. I was off vacationing at the East Coast SEAL Reunion with my family in July. When we came home, I picked up The Navy Times and thumbed through it. WOW!! There was my name for Selection to O-5!! No phone congratulatory phone calls. Just this notice in The Navy Times then the official paperwork arrived a few weeks later.

It was my first year at my first duty station following Aviation Electrician's Mate class "A" School. I had already "earned" E-4 having finished in a tie for first-in-class and added a year of active service. The tie was with a Regular Navy Sailor and I was a TAR (Active Reserve, Training and Administration of Reserves) so there was no real professional competition for orders between us. I had finished my six month trial period as an E-4 and took the E-5 Navywide exam as an early candidate. We had all (of course) been schooled on what to expect and how to pass. I really didn't have much hope after having met 12 and 14 year E-5s at this first command. The results were in and the steady stream of passed, non-selects went through the Division officer's required counseling. My Supervisor brought me to the Warrant's Office where I knocked and was allowed to enter. Opening the door, I found that small space filled with khaki and my blueshirted supervisor. The exam profile sheet lay on the desk before me facing where I could read it. The sheet was filled with "S" and "E" but nobody was saying anything. All had their arms crossed over their chests. My score put me in the top 1% and promoted me early and nobody was saying anything. Scared the bejeezus out of me. Finally, Warrant Hugel stood and shook my hand. I really don't know where from or how all those khakis got into that office without being spotted, but, a good time seemed to be had by them while I was completely miffed.

I was at Blackwater (for training) when I made Second Class. I wasn't there to get frocked. I still was wearing my 3rd class crow when I reported back. I was immediately paged, with my whole CoC to my shop. I threw on a uniform and hauled ass in. To make a long story short, the Captain chewed me out for being out of uniform and wearing the wrong rank. This went on for a good 15 minutes. He winked at me then fired my immediate boss (who had over 18 years in, and I was just over 2) and left after frocking me. I immediately was made work center supervisor.

was on my back removing the prop shafts off my jeep when my motor daddy and XO walked by and said 'its time for lunch' and dropped something on my chest. finished and sat up SP4 orders and rank got up, got pinned. went unnoticed till the next day.

I was notified by the General in charge of an exercise in a small middle eastern country at the drop zone rally point.

I was promoted to E5 SGT while on leave. I came back and people were calling me sarge. No ceremony no anything.

I received my promotion to Sergeant in a very disappointing way. We were preparing for annual training on a Monday night. We were in civilian clothes (I have no idea why). After the final formation the 1SG called me over and just handed the Sergeant stripes to me. I was not happy about how this was done and I swore that if I ever became a first sergeant I would make sure that my soldiers would receive their promotion in formation so that everyone could see it. I eventually was promoted to 1SG and CSM and always promoted my soldiers in front of their peers.

Oh, man, do I have one that may not qualify but is worth it: As a Marine in a very slow-promoting MOS I was a LCPL (E-3) for a long time. Third tour in Iraq I was attached to a fast-movers unit that was out of my branch and did things a little... differently. Long story short I was duct-taped to a stone pillar while they grilled steaks (doubt it was cow, btw) and used a slingshot to fire paintballs at me. This was my welcome to military leadership roles. One my favorite memories.

Well, I found out I was promoted to 1st Lt (O2) by reading about it in the base newspaper about six months before the (mostly) automatic promotion was due. I thought how strange there's another officer on base with the same name as me. Got called into my CO's office and he proceeded to call the Chief of Personnel and lambasted him (a full Colonel) severely about how he had to find out one of his junior officers got promoted early by seeing it in the paper! Another instance was during the base theater mass outbrief by the Major Command IG MRI (or UEI, or ORI ... whatever they're calling it nowadays) team. Their normal process is to brief (in order of importance and severity) Findings, Write-ups, and "However Statements". In one such instance, the IG (O6) briefed that uniform compliance was excellent throughout the Wing; "However", there was one especially grating violation that needed to be corrected before the briefing could continue. The Colonel then named a particular Technical Sergeant (E6) and ordered him up the stage front and center. "I intend to make an example of this NCO's gross violation of uniform regulations". He then announced the sergeant's spot promotion to Master Sergeant (E7) and pinned him to thunderous applause.

Another one was when I was serving as a Cat E Reservist (O4) working with the Mississippi Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. The O5 Reserve Promotion Board met in late April but I didn't think too much about it - Cat E Reservists are pretty much Red-headed step children (really - no offence to redheads intended here). I got notified by message in late June that I had been promoted with a date of rank backed up to mid May of that year (This was the normal method of notification at that time). I called the Reserve Personnel Center and they said I could pin on any time as it was past my effective date. So we did a formal pinning on ceremony officiated by the Regional Commander (AD O6) at a Civil Air Patrol Summer encampment with over 150 cadets witnessing, just to show them how its done in the Air Force. Later in September, I called the Reserve Personnel Center again and asked when the actual promotion orders were going to be published so I could frame them next to my new promotion picture. The rep got excited and said I shouldn't have pinned on because the list hadn't yet been approved by Congress -- they didn't expect that until February or March. He further stated that the "Do Not Pin On Until Further Notice" directive was in the message they sent out in June. I pointed out it wasn't in the message I received. He put me on hold for five minutes and came back on to say, " Holy F&$#, somebody left the last paragraph off the message. We gotta correct this. Meanwhile you need to unpin" I said, "I think not". I ran it by my boss, the O6 who agreed with me that it would mess with the cadet's minds if I showed up wearing Major's leafs again. He said, "I know we don't "vette" in the Air Force but we're going to in this case".

I received notification through email. The promotion order was sent to me right after a buddy of mine working in personnel processed the order. Was certainly the most unusual notification I had seen.